Drema Mace Hill
Vice President for Community Engagement & Development , WVSOM
KEN MAGILL
Drema Mace Hill never backs down from a challenge . After suffering extensive injuries to her legs and feet , in addition to internal injuries , from a car accident in 1985 , she spent the next three years of her life in a wheelchair while learning to walk again .
While accepting social security disability could have been an easy choice for Hill — and she certainly qualified — Hill continued working , and she wouldn ’ t have had it any other way . The ripple effects being immeasurable , it is impossible to calculate the number of people who have benefited from this decision .
“ Choosing to work impacted my career by making me a human that is grateful for every day of life and has motivated me to achieve all I can with the gifts God has bestowed ,” says Hill , who today serves as the vice president for community engagement and development for the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine ( WVSOM ).
With more than three decades of experience working in public health leadership positions for the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health , the Tennessee Department of Health , Vanderbilt ’ s Nashville Health Management Foundation and Comprehensive Care Center and the Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Health Office , Hill has spent her career focused on serving marginalized
populations , building small community infrastructures that are inclusive , equitable and meet the needs of the people served .
“ I understand the culture and love people ,” she says . “ I can ’ t imagine doing anything else with my life . As the vice president for community engagement and development at WVSOM , I get to utilize my education , experience and skills to do what I love . I appreciate being in a place where innovation and thinking outside the box are not only allowed but much appreciated .”
Hill ’ s current roles at WVSOM involve providing oversight and direction for the WVSOM Center for Rural and
Photo by The TGG Group .
Community Health — a center dedicated to improving the well-being of West Virginians through building infrastructure to empower communities — as well as working with the Office of Attorney General Patrick Morrisey on opioid settlements .
“ Due to the work of the Office of the Attorney General , West Virginia has received the largest per capita settlement in the nation ,” says Hill . “ I appreciate the opportunity to impact the opioid epidemic in West Virginia .”
Hill is not only passionate about her work , but she is also dedicated to giving back . She has volunteered with domestic violence shelters , served on
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